Young mom sent chilling text message to family member the same day fiance 'executed' her in front of their child, claimed he was 'cleaning his gun'

A 23-year-old Michigan man has been convicted of murder for executing his fiancee in front of their child, with prosecutors saying he blasted the young mom in her neck "at very close range" and then claimed he did it while "cleaning his gun."

A Pontiac jury found Michael Webb guilty last week of first-degree murder and using a firearm in the commission of a felony for the 2025 murder of his live-in fiancee, Rachel Wooten, who was also the mother of his 6-month-old child at the time of her death, according to the Oakland County Prosecuting Attorney's Office.

"On April 15, 2025, Webb shot Wooten in the neck at very close range," the attorney's office said in a press release Friday. "The defendant and the victim were in a relationship, lived together, and had a child together."

Prosecutors presented evidence at Webb's trial showing that Wooten "texted a family member that she was afraid for her life the day she was murdered."

Deputies with the Oakland County Sheriff's Office were sent to the couple's Highland Township home, located in the 200 block of Maple Drive — about 40 miles northwest of Detroit — around 4 p.m. regarding a report of a shooting. The caller identified himself as Webb and he told a 911 dispatcher that he "had shot his fiancee and himself," per the release.

"Webb had a self-inflicted, non-fatal gunshot wound and claimed he was cleaning his gun," the attorney's office said. "Their child was 6 months old at the time of the murder and was found inside the home unharmed."

When speaking to police, Webb said, "It was an accident." Police reported that evidence recovered from the couple's residence "did not support" that the shooting was accidental.

Webb's gunshot wound was "apparently from the same bullet" that killed his fiancee, according to investigators.

"Michael Webb executed Rachel Wooten in front of their child, then called 911 and lied about it," Oakland County Prosecutor Karen D. McDonald said Friday in a statement.

"He will most likely spend the rest of his life in prison, as he should," McDonald added. "While this verdict holds him accountable, nothing can bring back Rachel Wooten or change the fact that her child will grow up without a mother. Too many women and children are living in fear of domestic violence without the resources or support to escape. We must do more to protect women and prevent future tragedies like Rachel's murder."

Webb is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 7.

Jerry Lambe contributed to this report. 

The post Young mom sent chilling text message to family member the same day fiance 'executed' her in front of their child, claimed he was 'cleaning his gun'  first appeared on Law & Crime.